Chapter 146 – Dog

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“Ahh, that was delicious.”
“I didn’t realize that orc meat could be so soft.”
“Reren makes a good stew.”

We sat around the campfire after eating, and just relaxed.

Reren’s orc stew had been very good. It was hard to believe that it was made with random wild plants in the area, and was only cooked for a short time. And yet it was so soft, and a little spicy.

Especially since I was the kind of person who just sprinkled a little salt on my meat after cooking it.

“I did not expect to eat something like this while camping outside. I am glad that I hired your party.”

Mr. Roroi, the client, was also very satisfied. Aside from protecting him, these kinds of services would likely lead to more work as well.
Of course, I didn’t have such skill, and it was not applicable to me.

It wasn’t just camping. As I was alone, guarding and taking the watch at night was difficult. Such escort quests were really for parties.
Perhaps if I had a presence detection skill. However, there were no signs of anything so convenient happening.

From what I could tell, looking at records, it wasn’t like I had a lot of skills, compared to other people in this world. As I tried a lot of different things, perhaps it was slightly more than most. But the levels were also spread out.

Lord Memrikia. You could make it easier for me to get skills, as a reincarnation bonus…you know?

“It’s my turn to watch.”
“Aye, thank you.”

I traded places with Kitoder, who had been watching while we ate. In Two-headed Firerat, they did it one by one.

Some time passed after that, and then I suddenly heard a rustling from the nearby bushes. And so I swiftly got up from the tree I was sitting on and my hand moved to the sword on my back. Some of the others around the fire noticed as well, and were on their guard.

As for the movement. It was clearly not anything large.
But then again, a small nocturnal monster would not attract so much attention like this. I wondered if it was a goblin or kobold. But a moment later, it was a dog that emerged.

A stray dog. For a group of armed Adventurers, it was no threat at all. The others relaxed and continued their conversation.

Stray dogs were not unusual. You saw them here and there, especially in places with human residents. However, we were currently quite far from any human settlement. This was a dangerous area with monsters.

On closer inspection, the dog had an injured leg. And so after emerging from the bushes, it sank down to the ground. Perhaps it had been attacked by a monster, and came to humans for help. Either that, or it was abandoned by its friends after being injured.

However, as the caravan was leaving tomorrow, there was no future for this dog. You could not run from monsters with an injured leg.

It was still young. Not a puppy, but too small to be an adult.

And so I tried moving towards the dog.

“Hey, don’t bother with it.”

Zechis said from behind me.

“Well, I’m a priest.”
“Wou…”

The dog moaned when I got closer. It sounded small and weak.

“Mei-lei-mote-sei Heal!”

I chanted while slowly moving my hand over it, and the dog shuddered. It looked down at its leg with a puzzled expression, and then licked it. The leg was already healed.

“The rest is up to you.”

I said, and then returned to my watch on the tree.

“You should have left it. You’re too kind.”
“It was right in front of me, and there was something I could do.”

I didn’t think it was hypocritical. In the past, when I drove cars, I had seen cats and dogs run over on the road. Sometimes, they were still alive, but no one stopped. Neither did I.

But the thing is…if the person driving could use Heal, would they still just pass by?
Perhaps some would. But I think many people would stop their cars and try to help.

Regardless, after seeing others die, I did not think that saving one now made up for anything. Still, it was right in front of me.

The dog was completely healed now, and it walked around in a circle for some time. And then it moved towards me hesitantly.

“Kuun.”

It whimpered with its tail lowered. Clearly, it was not hostile. Did it know that I had healed it?
I moved my hand slowly so it wouldn’t bite, and then it moved its head under my palm. I petted it like that, and it wagged its tail. Was it used to being around humans?

“Don’t feed it. It will be troublesome if it gets attached to you.”
“I think it might be too late for that.”

Normally, people didn’t scold you for feeding strays unless you were in a big city. Things were different there. However, it was true that if it followed the party, it would become an unpredictable factor. And they were on the job now. So as the leader, Zechis’s decision was right.

“Sorry.”

I said while petting it. Now that it had finished thanking me, the dog turned around and moved a short distance away, where it lay down.

Still, a dog, eh? It’s not like I had never considered it. There were some Adventurers who had dogs that they took with them while traveling.

Since ancient times, dogs and humans have been good partners. And it was much the same in this world as well. Not so much as hunting companions, but they were kept all over the place.
Dogs had sharper senses than humans. And they could be good guards on the road. Also, they would not look at me with suspicion if I suddenly used Reverse Age.

As for why I had never ended up keeping a dog, there was no deep reason. I had never owned a dog in the past, and I was already keeping a horse.

Still, after seeing it like this. The idea started to feel more appealing to me.

Next Chapter

Ossan Boukensha no Jimichi na Isekai Tabi